The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melody (review)

The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melody. By Warren W. Vaché. (Studies in Jazz, 34.) Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2000. [xxxi, 737 p. ISBN 0-8108-3570-3. $95.]

Warren W. Vaché, longtime editor of Jersey Jazz and author of several books on jazz, turns his attention in this volume to American songwriters of the twentieth century, the composers and lyricists who contributed to what the author has termed the "Golden Age" of songwriting. In the preface, Vaché establishes this "Golden Age" as the period roughly between the end of World War I and 1950, with a "peak of perfection" in the 1930s. He includes songwriters whose work was written and published during this period as well as those whose material "complies with the format and traditions established at that time" (p. xxvii). Vaché's purpose is to recognize the contributions of good songwriters whose names are not well known, but whose lives and works are worthy of note even if their output was meager. The result is an alphabetical biographical dictionary of almost five hundred lesser-known composers and lyricists from the world of jazz, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood.

A biographical dictionary of American songwriters has been needed for some time, and this book takes the first steps toward addressing that need. Vaché's approach, which is journalistic rather than scholarly, often results in illuminating biographical entries written in an engaging, readable style. He brings to light the biographies of a wide range of songwriters, from Maurie Abrams, one of the pioneers of Tin Pan Alley, to Hy Zaret, lyricist for numerous composers in the 1930s and 1940s. The appendix contains further information in several useful lists, including "One Hitters," an alphabetical list of composers and lyricists who are known for only one big hit, and "Nuggets from the Golden Era," a chronological list of some of the best songs from 1902 to 1950.

In a brief prefatory section entitled "Why Some Songwriters Are Not Included in This Book," Vaché explains further his criteria for inclusion in--or exclusion from--the volume. Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers have been omitted, since they have achieved what Vaché calls "star status" in the world of music (p. xxx). Furthermore, the author argues, the lives and works of these songwriters have already been well documented in the literature. On the other hand, Vaché makes a point of including many major jazz figures, notably Count Basie and Duke Ellington, to highlight their work as composers. He also includes composers more celebrated for their contributions to other musical genres than for their work in popular song, such as Ferde Grofé. Even Ogden Nash's name appears because of his work as a lyricist in Kurt Weill's musical One Touch of Venus.

In spite of this broad coverage, there are many questionable inclusions and omissions, and the level of biographical detail varies widely. One could argue with the author's decision to include figures like Harold Arlen, Edgar Y. Harburg, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, and Johnny Mercer, whose careers (with the exception of Mercer) have been well covered. Oscar Hammerstein, Rodgers's longtime collaborator, has an entry, but Lorenz Hart, Hammerstein's predecessor, is omitted. Lerner, who was Loewe's lyricist, merits only a paragraph, while Loewe himself has a more substantial entry. Henry Mancini, whose main contributions came mostly after 1950, is included, but many of the other post-1950 inheritors of the popular song tradition (for example, Marilyn and Alan Bergman and Gene Lees) are absent from these pages. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see that lyricists are usually given equal billing with composers and that many of the women who contributed to popular song are not ignored. Among others, lyricist Dorothy Fields, composer Dana Suesse, and jazz performer and composer Mary Lou Williams are given sizeable entries.

The most glaring problem with this volume is the lack of documentation. Individual...